YouTuber Sky Williams says he owes at least $200,000 to more than a dozen people
- "Sky Mansion" founder Sky Williams told Insider he owes between $200,000 and $250,000 to people in the esports community.
- Williams says that money is owed to roughly 13 individuals who gave him loans between 2013 and 2020.
- "I'm owning up to the pain that I've caused and I aim to rectify it," Williams told Insider.
- Williams is a well-known YouTube and video game streamer with over 800,000 YouTube subscribers and 260,000 Twitch followers.
- There are also allegations of abuse in the "Sky Mansion" communal homes.
Members of the "Super Smash Bros." esports community have accused "Sky Mansion" founder Sky Williams, a YouTuber and video game streamer, of owing hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
On Friday, in a phone call with Insider, the 30-year-old said he owes between $200,000 and $250,000 to people in the esports community. He said he owes that money to roughly 13 individuals who gave him loans between 2013 and 2020.
When asked whether all of these individuals were part of the Twitch esports community, Williams said most of them were.
"I'm owning up to the pain that I've caused and I aim to rectify it," Williams, who has over 800,000 YouTube subscribers and 260,000 followers on the live-streaming platform Twitch, told Insider.
Allegations against Williams have gone viral in the gaming community
Stories of people saying Williams owes them money have gone viral on Twitter and within the gaming community.
One of the most high-profile allegations came from Spencer Samuelson, a friend and former roommate of Williams, who says he loaned Williams $55,000 in 2017. He wrote in a TwitLonger story that he loaned Williams the money because he had been in trouble with the IRS and feared jail time.
Williams told Insider that he does recall telling Samuelson about his financial worries and, though he hadn't consulted with a lawyer or accountant at the time, he feared he could be sent to jail.
Though Williams disputes some of the details of Samuelson's account, he says that he wronged Samuelson. Samuelson did not return Insider's request for comment.
There are also allegations of abuse in the 'Sky Mansion' communal homes
Williams has been at the center of an esports and Twitch community controversy over his "Sky Mansion" communal homes in California. Some people allege a culture of grooming and abuse, as well as a toxic power structure. Williams says he financed the homes with his own money and friends' money between 2017 and 2020.
The main "Sky Mansion" in Hacienda Heights housed various gamers and streamers, many of whom hosted or participated in "Super Smash Bros." tournaments, like Williams. The number of residents in the homes has been disputed. Williams estimated to Insider that 13 or 15 people lived in the main mansion at any given time, and denies claims that underage girls had stayed in the home.
Williams said he hopes to continue streaming on Twitch and find other ways to make money in order to pay off his debts.
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